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A manslaughter indictment against a 27-year-old Edcouch man who accidentally shot and killed his cousin over the 2021 Easter weekend has been dismissed over insufficient evidence.
State District Judge Rose Guerra Reyna dismissed the indictment against Raul Reyes on Wednesday, court records indicate.
Prosecutors lodged the manslaughter charge after Reyes on April 2, 2021 was showing his gun to his cousin, Alex Diaz, at a family gathering when the weapon discharged and hit Diaz in the torso.
He was found dying at a store near a property at Mile 5 1/2 West after deputies responded to a 9-1-1 call.
During a 2021 bond hearing, Reyes’ attorney Rick Salinas told a judge that Diaz had a legal permit to carry and brought either a .40 caliber or 9mm Smith& Wesson to a family gathering.
“This is one of these tragic events where people shouldn’t mix alcohol and carry a firearm,” Salinas said at the time.
The attorney said Diaz had shown the gun to Reyes and when Reyes handed it back, it went off.
“So many of the family members were at the gathering when this unfortunate accident occurred,” he said at that hearing.
The attorney also said he believed Reyes’ arrest was “a little premature.”
There was never a history of animosity between Reyes and Diaz.
